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November 11, 2012

What We Are Up To

Mommy here - We've had a roller coaster of emotions for the last six months. The loss of Parker has no words to describe the sadness of her passing on her Daddy and me. The other "kids" felt the loss as well. Little Ricky Tiki Tavi has made her loss a little less painful. He's fit so well into our little family unit. He's sunshine and happiness and laughter. Anyone who doubts that Parker sent him to us has no idea how wrong that they are.
The truth is that I have had a total of 5 stray cats show up in our yard since Parker's death. I've taken all of them in to the Vet's to have them tested and vaccinated and spayed or neutered - then straight to the shelter for adoption. Of the five, one of the was FIV + and we humanely euthanized him, which killed my heart. But the reality of living in a nation that treats animals as poorly as we do, you have to make some very difficult choices. Action Jackson was his name and it's going to take a long time for me to forgive myself for making that choice. He was a good boy, but in our little corner of O Hi O he had zero chance of being adopted and we could not have him at our little shelter. He faced a future of no home, no love and no where to go to. He now lives in my heart and his remains are next to a beautiful Hydrangia plant where he used to gratefully eat his meals from us. Little Ricky was different in that something spoke to our hearts that he was sent to us straight from Parker - he has many of her ways, right down to her meow and her mannerisms. There was no doubt that she sent him to us.
I'm lucky in a weird sort of way - being on the board of our humane society allows me to rescue the strays that find their way to my yard. Not every animal lover has that option. Don't get me wrong. my strays are fully vetted, spayed or neutered and vaccinated before they go to the shelter. The only cost to the shelter is the boarding until they get adopted. And I am happy to report that every one has found their forever homes. The county that I live in has an estimated 90,000 stray cats. My rescues are a drop in the bucket of all the kitties that have no where to turn. It's heart breaking. Our shelter is operating on the thinnest of shoestrings and we face the very real possibility of having to reduce our services or even closing our doors if things don't improve next year.
I tell you this for a few reasons. I know I do not blog as much as I did in the past. It's because I spend all of my "free time" at the shelter helping kitties (and doggies too), getting forever homes. And then there is my real job which is both important to me and something I am equally as passionate about. It leaves very little time for much else.
Parker's blog will remain and I will try to update as much as I can.
And if you can, instead of buying something that you can live without, consider donating to a shelter. The animals that live there need your help and your support. Very often, their little lives depend upon it. We work very hard to find them their forever homes. Every dollar makes a difference.
Smoochies from angel Parker Pie and hugs from her Mommy who misses her so very, very much.

we are glad you are able you are able to help those that need it. it is so sad that shelters seem to be the first that suffer...and the ones that are trying to take in those animals that are victims of the economy as well. we are glad you are out there helping!!

We know what you mean about Parker sending Ricky. We are 100% sure that Tamir sent Raz to us.

Mom is getting more involved in the rescue process. We're going to try to feature one or more of the kitties from the rescue that saved Raz each week. We're lucky that there are no strays in our neighborhood but there is a huge feral colony up at the beach. We can't save everykitty, but we'll try to save as many as we can.

It's nice to hear from you. We are sorry about Action Jackson...but you're right, his chances of finding a home were very slim. That's one of the reasons we have Zoey. Not that she was FIV or anything like that. but being a scared, almost feral kitty, she wouldn't have lasted in a shelter. Thank you for all you do to help the animals. It's so sad to know that the shelters are having so much trouble. We're gonna have our mom send some green papers to one...or maybe more!!

Ricky is so cute! We're glad he has brought you much happiness. Parker would have wanted that. :)

There are many hard choices to make in the world of kitty rescue, sometimes it's a choice between two not so good choices. I'm glad you are involved in bettering the lives for the kitties and are willing to make the hard choices. Blessings to you as you continue helping the kitties of your area.

WE do not see many strays here, but we do have two that live in our yard. One is very tame but her mate is still very shy! They are always together and I hate to separate them. I am hoping he will get closer to us.

Big hugs and purrs for all you do to help homeless kitties. Mom has committed to helping EVERY stray that comes in our yard and sometimes that means vetting and placing and much of the time that means we have a new family member. Our very first stray cat, Roger Ramjet, ::bows head in honor:: was amazing and we are pretty sure he has sent each and every one of our strays to our door. He left us in 1990 but we know he still looks out for all of us.

This post speaks to our hearts. Our little shelter here in SE OK operates much the same way. So many people here need educating. Our Mom, Auntie, and Nana now donate to the shelter in lieu of sympathy flowers. It adds up quickly. Big hugs and purrs to you and your efforts. XOXOXOXO

My Feline Rescue is a no-kill shelter, all volunteer. It is where I (Quinn) just came from. It is a very nice place, with lots of love and lots of cats, but it is expensive (our kitty litter came in truckloads!!) as they have a little kitty hospital, and special rooms for specially sick kitties. I wish more kitties had homes and we didn't need shelters, but my shelter was really nice and I thank all the kitty helpers and the financial help, too! My mommy isn't going to have something called Thanksgiving this year cause of her donation there to get me, but she is thankful enough for me she said.We love rescuers. LOVE rescuers!

More people need to take a look at their local shelters and then find one to either donate time or money to (or both). Even a little donation helps. We have a few shelters in our area. One is for cats only and has a special area for FIV cats.

And, some people who can no longer afford pets (food, vet bills, etc) can give a little bit to shelters. Every dollar helps.

I am also sure that Parker sent you Ricky. I think that Emma sent Oja along to me. She's the same size as Emma, but gets along with other cats much better. Thank you for all you to for your strays. Up here we don't have much of a stray problem (the coyotes get them), and we have a great network of foster homes, so the FIV and FeLV kitties have more of a chance. Don't beat yourself up over Action Jack. If he was anything like Herman, he would have been miserable in a cage. Thank you so much for your kind words about Herman, my very good boy.

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I was a perfectly wonderful little housekitty that liked to share my daily adventures. I lived with a wonderful family that includes three kitty-sibs and a dog (he's not so bad for a canine). I loved HAM!!!, my Daddy, sunspots, naps, fake furry mice, catnip, snuggles, my enclosed deck and you! In the fall of 2011 I was diagnosed with Cancer. Cancer sux! I left my perfectly wonderful life to become a Bridge Angel on May 24th, 2012. I am missed by my 'rents very much, but with my blog living on, so will my memory.